Cleaning machine for magazines and matrices



Dec. 6, 1932. H. R. FREUND 1,890,374

CLEANING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES AND MATRICES Original Filed Nov. 22.`1928 15761027611? ,F.F'eurgd wf @wf/Q@ akamu,

Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED lSTATES PATENT OFFICE HERMAN B. FREUND, OFBROOD'JYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 INTERTYPE CORPORA- TION, OF NEW YORK,N. Y., A CORPORATION 0F NEW YORK CLEANING MACHINE FOR MAGAZINES ANDIDIIATIRJIK'JIESa Original application led November 22, 1928, Serial No.321,146, and in Germany May 24, 1929. Divided and this application filedNovember 30, 1929. Serial No. 410,791.

- 1,804,331 granted May 5, 1931.

Experience has shown that the matrices and also the guiding channelstherefor within the magazines of machines of this class accumulate dirt,grease and other foreign matter and also become tarnished or corrodedincident to the use of such machines, and such accumulations of foreignmatter and tarnish tend to clog or to oii'er undue frictionalresistanceto the descent of the matrices by gravity through themagazines which are usually inclined downwardly and forwardly to theirmatrix delivery end, and hence the matrices and also the guidingchannels therefor within the magazine require cleaning periodically toremove such accumulations and tarnish in order to insure smooth oruninterrupted passage of the matrices through the magazine and to effectprompt and certain delivery of the matrices therefrom under control ofthe usual keyboard-actuated escapements.

It has been a common practice, prior to the present invention, to cleanthe matrices by removing them from their magazines and placing them in amachine which subjected them to the action of a liquid cleaner or to theabrasive action of brushes, felt or rubber, and to clean the magazinesby passing a specially designed brush up and down through the matrixguiding channels therein while the matrices are removed therefrom, butsuch cleaning methods have not been entirely satisfactory, because ofthe great amount of work required in removing the matrices from themagazine and replacing them therein, which was rendered necessary bysuch methods, the inability of such methods to thoroughly clean thematrices and magazines, especially the matrix channels in the magazineswhich tend to accumulate dirt, grease, tarnish and other obstructingmatter at the intervals in their length corresponding with the positionsof the matrices when they are at rest therein, and because of otherreasons.

The present invention provides a novel and improved apparatus wherebythe matrices and the magazines may be cleaned thoroughly andsimultaneously and while the matrices are contained in their magazines,thus avoiding the necessity of removing the matrices from theirmagazines and replacing them therein and thereby saving, much time andlabor. l

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a top plan view, partly brokenaway, of a magazine and matrix cleaning apparats constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 represents a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1 andlooking in the direction of the arrows therein;

Fig. 3 represents a section on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-3of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 4 represents a section on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 4-4of Fig. 1 and-2 looking in the direction of the arrows. n

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters in thediierent figures of the drawing.

In this drawing, M represents a matrix magazine of the kind commonlyused in machines of the class hereinbefore referred to,

these magazines being usually composed of per to the lower delivery endof the magazine,

and the delivery of the matrices at the lower end of the magazine andfrom the respective matrix-guiding channels therein is controlled by anescapement E one of which is provided for each matrix-guiding channel,as is well understoodby those skilled in this art. It will also beunderstood that in magazines of this class containing a full supply ofmatrices, the opposite or Lupper and lower ends of the magazine are openso that passageways are formed throughout the length of the magazine inthe spaces between or not occupied by the rows of matrices therein.

The cleaning apparatus provided by the present invention enables theentire magazine and the matrices contained therein to be rotated whileimmersed or submerged in a cleaning liquid, and after the magazine andits matrices have been thus submitted to a cleaning operation, theymaybe removed and washed and dried in any suitable manner. The cleaningapparat-us as shown comprises a tank 1 which is of a size to receive theusual standard magazine together with the matrices contained therein,this tank being supported at its opposite narrow sides vby horizontaltrunnions 2 which rotate inbearings 3'in the l upper ends ofl standards4 the vlatter being. mounted in stationary position upon a floor orother support. One of the trunnions has t strlp of wood or otherrelatively yieldable lmaterial 6 secured to it, the inner edge of thisstrip being formed with a rib. 7 which isV adapted to enter the lowerend of the maga,

zi'ne in the space thereof between the top and bottom plates m, asisshown in Fig. 4, the in'- nermost edge of this rib preferably projectinginto the magazine suiciently far to dislodge the lowermost matrices fromtheir escapements E, substantially as is shown in Fig. 4, so that therib 7 will withstand the impact due l to the -dropping of the matricestoward that vend of the magazine, when the latter is brought intolowered position, thereby reliev- .ing the escapement E from the impactof the matrices. The strip 6 also abuts against this end of the magazineand thereby prevents endwise shift of the magazine. toward the closedend of the' tank 1, but itis slotted to l rovide passages 8l throughwhich cleaning iquid contained in the tank may flow into and out of theinterior of the magazine. The op- Mpositel end of the tank is providedwith a reves.

movable cover or head 9 which may be detachf ably connected to that endof the tank 1 which isl open and provides for the insertion and re movalof the magazine, clamping bolts 10 being shown in the present instancefor securing thecover or head 9 inplace and to form a fluid-tight fitagainst the flange 11 which surrounds the open end of the tank. Thecover or head 9 is provided with a pair of angley irons 12 which arefixed to its inner side, and these angle irons are spaced apart adistance s ufticient to receive and hold between them a strip of leatheror other suitable yielding niaterial 13 lso that it abuts against thenarrow side edges at the top of the magazine and projects into the upperopen end of the magazine throughout the width thereof, so that thisstrip 13 will prevent endwise displacement of the magazine and will bein a position to be engaged by the matrices in the magazineand F toarrest the dropping of th matrices towardthe upper or wider end of the4magazine when this end of the magazine is lowered by the rotation ofthe tank 1 about the center of the 7 during insertion of the magazineinto the'v tank.

In carrying out the cleaning operation with an apparatus such as thatjust described, the magazine to be cleaned containing the matrices which`are also to be cleaned, is lowered into the tank 1 while the-latter isat rest and its open end is uppermost and the cover or head 9 isremoved, the magazine being lowered edgewise between the strips 14 untilthe lower end of the magazine is engaged on the ribbed edge 7 of thestrip 6 which will extend across the full width ofthe lower end of the`magazine and will project into it a distance suiicient to engage thelowermost matrices and to push them back slightly from theirescapements, and assuming the tank ,1- has been lilled to asuitableextent with a suitable cleaningliquid whichnpreferably has beenpre-heated, the cover or head 9 is applied to the tank 1 to close it,the inturned flanges of the angle irons 12 being adjacent to the upperwiderfend of the magazine and the leather or similar strip 13v beingthereby brought into a position wlthin this end of the magazine where itwill catch the matrices as theypdrop toward this end of the magazineduring rotation of the latter, Fig. 3 showing the manner in which theangle irons 12 and the matrix arresting strip 13 are positioned at thisend of the magazine. After the magazine contain-Y ing the matrices hasbeen thus introduced into the tank and the latter tightly closed, thetank containing the magazine is slowly revolved or, rotated about thehorizontal axis of thetrunnions 2. Such rotation of the magazine andthematrices contained therein will cause the cleaning fluid to flowlongitudinally through the inside of the magazine, iirst in onedirection and then in the opposite direction, as each end of themagazine is alternately brought into lowered position, and at the sametime, the matrices will be caused to slide within the magazine, firsttoward one end thereof and then toward the opposite end thereof,incident to the slon7 rotation of the tank and the magazine therein.This shifting of the matrices alternately from the upper to the lowerend of the magazine will cause a frictional rubbing of the matricesalternately against the matrix-guiding channels in the top and bottomplates of the magazine, due to the successive inversions of the magazineand its contained matrices, and this rubbing action will effectivelydislodge or remove any dirt, grease, tarnish or corrosion or otherforeign matter that may have accumulated either on the surfaces of themagazine which are engaged by the matrices or upon the matrices, and theflow of the cleaning liquid or solution substantially longitudinallywithin the magazine will produce a scouring action which will furtherclean and wash away any foreign matter present. The sliding movement ofthe matrices is particularly effective in removing dirt or grease fromthe matrix guiding channels in the magazine as the dirt or grease tendsto accumulate in areas which are spaced apart in the length of thematrixguiding channels at intervals corresponding to the length of thematrices, and the sliding motion of the matrices serves to effectivelyremove such accumulation of foreign matter. The cleaning solution usedin the rotatable tank 1 may be a solution of chromic acid and water,soda and water, or a benzol or other hydrocarbon liquid or any othersuitable cleaning liquid and the cleaning liquid may be used either hotor cold. Endwise movement of the matrices within the magazine during itsrotation is insured, as the magazines are never completely filled withmatrices from top to bottom, there being suiiicient space in all of thematrix channels to permit the matrices therein to move lengthwise.

In the embodiment of the invention hereinbefore described, the magazineand the matrices belonging therein are cleaned as a unit,

thereby avoiding the labor and delay oc-' casioned by removing thematrices from the magazine, cleaning the matrices or the magazine, orboth, separately and then returning the matrices to their properchannels in the magazine.

Further, in the embodiment described, thorough and rapid cleaning of thematrices and magazines is accomplished by the relative iow between thecleaning liquid and the 'magazine and matrices in a directionsubstantially longitudinally within the matrix @containing chamber ofthe magazine, aided by relative movement between the matrices and themagazine produced by the movement imparted to the latter, such relativemovement of the matrices producing a rubbing or abrading action betweenthe matrices and the walls or surfaces of the magazine which they engagewhich will dislodge or wear away any accumulations of dirt, grease orother foreign matter that tend to collect at the points where thematrices normally rest in the magazine, the matter thus dislodged beingwashed away by the longitudinally fiowing cleaning liquid. I

It is preferable to employ the cleaning liquid While hot, as thecleaning liquid is then able to act more readily on the dirt, grease orother foreign matter, but the cleaning liquid may be used cold 'orwithout heat-- ing in carrying out the invention with a magazinerotating means such as that shown, since the range of longitudinalsliding movement of the matrices will produce 4a rubbing action whichwill be suflicient to insure the removal of the dirt or foreignmatter,'espe cially in the presence of the cleaning liquid.

I claim as my invention 1. Apparatus for interiorly cleaning theopen-ended magazine of a line casting machine, comprising a-closed,liquid-tight tank to contain the magazine and a treating fluid,supporting members for unobstructively engaging the open ends of themagazine to support it immovably in said tank with its open ends spacedfrom the walls of the tank opposite thereto and to provide communicationbetween lthe interior of the magazine and the liquid containing portionof the tank, and means for rotating the tank and4 magazine about an axistransverse to the length of the magazine tov cause flow of the treatingfluid longitudinally therethrough.

2. Apparat-us for interiorly cleaning the open-ended magazine andtherein slidably contained matrices of a line casting machine,comprising a tank to contain a treating fluid, matrix confining membersto extend over and engage the open ends of the magazine to support itand its contained matrices' lixedly away from the walls ofthe tank andto engage and prevent the escape of matrices from the magazine, saidmembers providing passages between them and the respective ends of themagazine for the flow of the treating fluid through the magazine,'andmeans piv-N otally supporting the tank and the magazine for successiveinversions about an axis transverse to the length of the magazine tocause the matrices in the magazine to slide alternately toward oppositeends of the magazine, whileresting alternately on the top and bottomplates of the magazine.

3. Apparatus for cleaning the magazine and therein contained matrices ofa line casting machine comprising a rotatably mounted tank to contain atreating liquid, means for supporting the magazine in said tank with iioits interior in communicat-ion therewith to receive treating liquidtherefrom and for rotation with said tank to cause travel of thetreating liquid and the matrices in the magazine toward the ends thereofto clean the magazine and matrices, and matrix arresting members locatedin the tankto project into the respective ends of a magazine therein andto engage and arrest the travel of the matrices toward the respectiveends of the magazine. i Y

4. Apparatus for cleaning the magazine and therein contained matrices ofa line cast- Ying machine comprising an elongated tankclosed at one endand open at the opposite end to receive the magazine, positioning meansbetween the sides of the tank to receive the magazinebetween them, amember at the closed end of the tank to project into the matrixdel-ivery end of the magazine and thereby hold the matrices out lofworking engagementA with their controlling escap'ements, a movable coverfor closing the open end of the tank, a member carried by the cover andprojecting, when the cover is applied, into the upper end ofthe magazineto engage and arrest the travel of the matrices 4toward said end of themagazine, and means supporting the tank for rotation about an axistransverse to the length of a'magazine therein.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

` HERMAN R. FREUND.

